Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 1996 — Modern science confirms ancieni wisdom [ARTICLE]

Modern science confirms ancieni wisdom

Hawaiian children of yesterday were taught to observe quietly — to look, listen and learn in all situations. For the observant and inquisitive child, learning happened without fanfare with this teaching method. Many subtle

lessons were taught at mealtimes in my childhood. Upon reflection, some still have great significance to me today in my nutrition work. For example, meals with Mama and Daddy Smith and their family were always very special and often an adventure in learning. Iremember vividly, when greens and vegetables did not disappear from our plates, we were encouraged gently to eat the greens because "they were our medicine." The adults and older children around the table demonstrated great pleasure in eating those vegeta-

bles. And so we copied them, mimieking the same expressions of dehght as we chewed, swallowed and followed with a spoonful of poi. The greens and herbs eaten by Hawaiians eontain essential nutrients in abundance. Most dark leafv greens are excellent sources of vitainin A and the component parts of vitamin A, for whieh today's scientists have established a role as

w cancer fighters. Greens are also a source of ealeium, especially when eaten in the large quantities of the traditional Hawaiian diet. Limu and the soft bones of imu-cooked fish and fowl all supplied ealeium for growing

and maintaining healthy bones. Caleium is a nutrient that Western diets find in milk products. Vitamin C, iron, folic acid, potassium, fiber and B vitamins are also found in green leafy vegetables, such as lū'au (taro leaves), spinach, watercress and hornesospinach. It was with great pleasure that I learned from kupuna that Hawaiians combined and | steamed several green vegetables and herbs in pū'olo in the imu. And that these greens were eaten in very

generous amounts daily. Mary Kawena Pukui, in "The Polynesian Family System in Ka'ū," writes that "the expectant mother was encouraged to eat greens such as pōpolo (Solanum nigrum), lū'au, palula (young sweet potato leaves), and pakai, as these wouId build up the child's body; and certain herbals were favored as mild medicine (la'au), such

as 'āheahea (Chenopodium alba), ko'oko'olau (Bidens sp.), and blossoms of 'akiohala (Hibiscus youngianus). These were prescribed "to make whole and firm the body of the child by means of greens and herbs."

"TT ^"upuna Kawena shares the Hawaiian saying, "I pa'a ke JL ^^.kino o ke keiki i ka lā'au," As pregnancy advanced, mothers were taught to eat mostly sweet potato and greens, and to eat lightly lest the baby become too large and the delivery difficult. So we know that the traditional Hawaiian diet for expectant mothers provided foods that naturally contain nutrients whieh modern medieine prescribes in pill form. Kupuna also teaches that our ancestors were very concerned with maintaining a sound body throughout hfe, not only during pregnancy and infancy. Scientific studies in the last three decades have linked low dietary intake of folic acid in modern diets with certain birth defects. Doctors now encourage or prescribe fohc acide for expectant mothers and some women during the childbearing years. Prenatal prescriptions also contain large quantities of iron to assure that mother and infant have adequate supphes of this nutrient. Infants must be born with large enough iron stores to accommodate increases in the volume of blood during the first three months of life. Folic acid and iron are found in abundance in all dark leafy greens, broccoli, bok ehoi, banana, orange, watermelon, beans, potato, as well as in fish and other protein foods. The wisdom of our ancestors is truly amazing.

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by Claire Hughes. Nutritionist jpp M Department of Health Nutrition Branch